Chapter 3 - First strike

The morning meeting was set for nine sharp. By eight, Raven was already in the company car, her dark sunglasses shielding eyes that had seen a thousand boardrooms and bled through countless betrayals. The driver said nothing he didn’t need to. Luguard sat across from her in the back seat, broad shoulders filling the space like a second wall.

He was silent, watchful. Always watchful.

Raven let her legs cross, the silk of her skirt sliding a little higher. She didn’t miss how his gaze darted once so fast she might have imagined it before his eyes locked back on the passing skyline.

“Board meetings used to terrify her,” Raven said casually, her voice cool as glass.

“Her?” he asked, brow lifting slightly.

“Emily,” she replied, tilting her head with a faint smirk. “But that’s not who I am anymore.”

For a long second, he studied her, his gaze sharp and searching. Then he gave a curt nod. “Good. Weakness has no place where you’re going.”

Her lips curved. Oh, Luguard. You have no idea how right you are.

⸻

The boardroom smelled of coffee, leather, and arrogance. Executives lined the long mahogany table, their expressions expectant, some amused, some dismissive. They were used to Emily Hart stumbling over her words, shuffling her papers, apologizing for simply existing.

But today wasn’t Emily.

Raven entered with the grace of a storm contained in human skin. She moved to the head of the table, her heels clicking with measured rhythm. When she sat, she didn’t shuffle papers. She folded her hands neatly and looked at them, one by one. A predator assessing prey.

“Shall we begin?” she said softly, her voice like silk wrapped around steel.

Stephanie Hart was the first to speak, her perfect red lips curving into a patronizing smile. She wore cream silk today, her golden hair falling in waves, the very image of innocence and charm.

“Of course, Emily,” Stephanie purred. “We were all concerned after your… episode last week. Are you sure you’re ready to handle this meeting?”

Soft chuckles rippled through the table.

Raven didn’t flinch. She leaned back in her chair, eyes glittering. “Funny. You’re concerned about me when it’s your numbers that are bleeding this quarter.”

The room fell quiet.

Stephanie’s smile faltered, just slightly. “Excuse me?” Stephanie said

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Raven said sweetly, tilting her head. “Should I repeat it louder, so even the shareholders hear how you’ve been siphoning funds into that little shell company of yours?”

Gasps echoed. A few executives shifted uncomfortably.

Stephanie’s nails curled against the table. “You… don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Raven smiled. Emily’s memories had shown her everything, every betrayal, every backhand deal Stephanie thought she hid. Raven had sharpened those memories into blades.

“Oh, I do. And this is just the beginning.”

The silence that followed was delicious.

When the meeting adjourned, Stephanie stormed out, her heels clacking like gunfire against marble. Raven followed at a leisurely pace, savoring the trail of rage left behind her steps.

She reached the elevator where Luguard stood waiting, his presence grounding her like steel. He opened the doors, and she stepped in without breaking stride.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Raven leaned back against the mirrored wall, exhaling slowly. Adrenaline hummed through her veins like liquid fire.

“You enjoyed that,” Luguard said simply, his deep voice vibrating in the confined space.

Her lips curved, eyes meeting his reflection. “Maybe I did.”

He studied her quietly, then spoke again. “You’re not the same woman I was hired to protect.”

Raven turned her head, her gaze catching his. Their faces were inches apart now, the air between them heavy with unspoken heat.

“Does that bother you?” she asked softly.

His jaw tightened, his throat working as he swallowed. “No,” he said at last, his voice rougher than before. “It intrigues me.”

Raven’s smile widened. Slowly, deliberately, she let her fingers trace along the polished rail behind her, her body leaning just a fraction closer.

“Careful, Luguard,” she whispered, her voice low and dangerous. “Intrigue can be the first step to obsession.”

The elevator chimed, the doors sliding open. She stepped out gracefully, leaving him standing there, his hand flexing at his side as though resisting the urge to reach for her.

She didn’t look back, but she could feel it’s the fire she’d lit inside him, smoldering, waiting.

And she intended to pour gasoline on it.

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